Building Connections through Bharatanatyam for Creative Aging (2)

Building Connections through Bharatanatyam for Creative Aging (2)

At Abby's Lawn in summer 2023 for a project with flutist Zara Lawler, funded by Partnerships for Parks.

In the last post, we saw the rise in rates of loneliness and social isolation in older adults, and that it may be associated with chronic mental and physical health issues. In this post, I will propose the use of aspects of Bharatanatyam for creative aging as a unique and specific way to address this issue. 

1. Dance in general has been shown to be beneficial for older adults [1-4]; however, Bharatanatayam provides numerous benefits as opposed to just the physicality of dance. The study of Bharatanatayam entails: 1. Connection with oneself in body, mind, and spirit; 2. Connect to tradition and history; and 3. A systematic structure of relating to others, to the nature and environment, and to current events. 
   

The intentional pedagogical approach of Bharatanatyam enables ways of connecting not just with our histories and our bodies, but with poets and writers of the past, as well as ancestral knowledge. 

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Literature cited:

1. Joung HJ, Lee Y. Effect of Creative Dance on Fitness, Functional Balance, and Mobility Control in the Elderly. Gerontology 2019;65(5):537-46. doi: 10.1159/000499402 [published Online First: 20190503]
2. Cruz-Ferreira A, Marmeleira J, Formigo A, et al. Creative Dance Improves Physical Fitness and Life Satisfaction in Older Women. Res Aging 2015;37(8):837-55. doi: 10.1177/0164027514568103 [published Online First: 20150129]
3. Martin-Wylie E, Urmston E, Redding E. Impact of creative dance on subjective well-being amongst older adults: an arts-informed photo-elicitation study. Arts Health 2022:1-17. doi: 10.1080/17533015.2022.2156562 [published Online First: 20221215]
4. Marmeleira JF, Pereira C, Cruz-Ferreira A, et al. Creative dance can enhance proprioception in older adults. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 2009;49(4):480-5.